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The history of British tattooing is well documented.

It is widely accepted among tattoo historians that the founding fathers of modern tattooing in Britain were Sutherland MacDonald, Tom Riley and George Burchett. There are several written documents and pictures to celebrate the important role these great artists played in popularising the art of tattooing in the early part of last century.

They all plied their trade in London, England but further north, in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, a young man was beginning to make a name for himself as a first-class tattooist.

He began tattooing around 1911 and opened his world-famous parlour on Glasgow's Argyle Street in 1935 and, with the help of his two sons, they tattooed thousands of customers here for over 30 years.

Very little is known or has been written about them. They have been largely ignored by tattoo historians and almost completely written out of a history that they contributed so much to. Much of which is spoken about them is urban myth and conjecture.

This website will introduce you to Scotland's first tattooing dynasty...